To provide a water-based coating composition which contains a copolymer which does not cause whitening and decrease in slipperiness even when subjected to a retort treatment and is excellent in wettability with an oil-base ink.

The water-based coating composition contains a copolymer which is prepared by copolymerizing monomer components essentially comprising a radical-polymerizable silicone macromonomer, a monomer having an acryloyl or methacryloyl group or groups and an alkylene oxide chain, and a monomer having an acryloyl or methacryloyl group or groups and a reactive functional group other than a carboxy group, provided that the monomer components contain at least one monomer having at least two acryloyl or methacryloyl groups.